The most stunning part of North Carolina’s oh-so-important victory against Virginia on Saturday afternoon was the fact the Tar Heels scored so many points in their 93-81 victory between NCAA Tournament bubble teams in Chapel Hill.

The defensive-minded, tempo-controlling Cavaliers hadn’t allowed that many points since a loss to Washington on Nov. 22, 2010. In fact, the UNC blitz is the second-most points any Tony Bennett team has ever given up, at Virginia or Washington State.

In ACC play, Virginia had allowed fewer than 60 points to 9-of-11 opponents.

The most encouraging part of North Carolina’s victory is the continued emergence of sophomore wing P.J. Hairston. Coach Roy Williams gave Hairston the start for the second consecutive game, and for the second consecutive game Hairston easily was the Tar Heels’ most dangerous scorer.

"Since we switched to the lineup, our overall effort level has jumped up another notch," UNC point guard Marcus Paige said. "... Our offense just flows better and spacing's better. That combination usually means good things — you play harder, better spacing and more scoring, so it's good."

Hairston had 23 points at No. 2 Duke on Wednesday, and he scored 29 against Virginia on Saturday.

Hairston made 6-of-12 shots from the 3-point arc against UVa and knocked in both of his 2-point attempts. He added seven rebounds and a steal and didn’t commit a turnover.

The Cavaliers had control of this game early, holding a quick 19-9 lead and, after a brief UNC rally, pushing the lead back to 30-21 with 7:42 left in the half. From that point to the end of the half, though, Hairston made three 3-pointers and the game was tied at 40 heading into the intermission.

It’s been an up-and-down season for Hairston. He’s scored in single digits seven times, and he’s had at least 18 points seven times. Through it all, he never has been afraid to fire away from the 3-point line, which has at times been a good thing, but his every-shot-is-a-good-shot mentality has, at times, driven Williams crazy.

But this is the second game in a row where Hairston has thrived, so maybe it’s time for Williams to let him loose. The Tar Heels are fighting for their NCAA Tournament lives, and Hairston provides plenty of offense for a team that needs offense to succeed. The early results have been encouraging.

"Their new lineup ... is hard to match up with," Bennett said. "You think they're a little smaller so maybe we can exploit them inside or they won't hurt us on the glass. But they have some long angles to rebound from. They shot a lot of 3s. When they're hitting and you're not doing a whole lot to stop it, it's going to be a long night."